Tuesday, August 19, 2014

IDF Operation Protective Edge - August 19, 2014 9:30pm

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------9:25pm The 9:16pm rocket hit near a shopping center in Ashkelon Coast. There's damage but no injuries.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

9:23pm Things are heating up around the world for supporters of Israel everywhere. In South Africa:

COSATU Western Cape Secretary Tony Ehrenreich stated on his blog yesterday that, “The time has come to say very clearly that if a woman or child is killed in Gaza, then the Jewish board of deputies, who are complicit, will feel the wrath of the People of SA with the age old biblical teaching of an eye for an eye. The time has come for the conflict to be waged everywhere the Zionist supporters fund and condone the war killing machine of Israel.”

The South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) is in the process of instituting both criminal and civil charges against Tony Ehrenreich, Provincial Secretary of COSATU (Western Cape branch), for hate speech and incitement to violence against the elected, representative leadership of the SA Jewish community. This will include laying charges of incitement with the police and lodging a formal complaint with the SA Human Rights Commission.

On 13 August, Ehrenreich published a statement on his Facebook accusing the SAJBD of being “complicit in the murder of the people in Gaza” and calling on the greater South African population to target it for revenge attacks whenever a woman or child in Gaza was killed. In his post, Ehrenreich wrote:“The time has come to say very clearly that if a woman or child is killed in Gaza, then the Jewish board of deputies, who are complicit, will feel the wrath of the People of SA with the age old biblical teaching of an eye for an eye. The time has come for the conflict to be waged everywhere the Zionist supporters fund and condone the war killing machine of Israel.”SAJBD Chairman Mary Kluk said that the post was a flagrant violation of South African law prohibiting hate speech and incitement to cause harm”

“Ehrenreich’s inflammatory post incites violence and hatred against the representative body for South African Jewry. What makes it even worse is the fact that he holds a leadership position within COSATU, South Africa’s largest trade union organisation. It also comes at a time of heightened tension over the Israel-Gaza conflict, thereby enflaming an already volatile situation” she said.

The latest post by Mr Ehrenreich comes in the wake of a recent statement issued by him in which the SAJBD was warned to cease its ‘Zionist propaganda’ in Cape Town by 7 August or face a COSATU-led campaign of strikes and boycotts against its members, supporting companies and organisations. Kluk observed that this too posed an overt challenge to South Africa’s democratic culture.

“It is unprecedented in a democracy for a political lobby to threaten violent reprisals against the SAJBD, or against any individual or group for that matter”

9:07pm Despite the official directive from IDF Homefront Command, that only public shelters within a 40km radius be opened, additional municipalities are opening shelters on their own initiative such as Rishon LeZion, Nes Ziona, Rechovot, and others.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

9:04pm IDF Homefront command has directed the opening of public bomb shelters within a 40km radius from Gaza.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

8:34pm The IDF Spokesman announced that the body of the missing IDF Lone soldier, David Gordon (21) from Jerusalem was found late this afternoon in Central Israel, with his personal weapon alongside him. His family has been notified.

May his memory be a blessing.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------6:47pm Channel 2 reports that in the previous rocket attack on Israel at 6:36pm there were 2 Iron Dome intercepts. No reports of injuries or damage.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------6:36pm Red Alerts in Ashkelon region and Otef Aza. x3 Sirens and Apps are working again....as are the Hamas rocket launchers ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------6:21PM There are reports that a rocket hit near Sdot Negev at 5:30pm - no alarm went off. We can't confirm this report, but it is being told to us by reliable (non-IDF) sources. We will update you when we know more.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

6:10PM Putting the house in order... with the rocket alert system apparently not working right, it creating some confusion. Here's a breakdown of the rockets so far...

At 3:53pm 2 rockets landed near Be'er Sheva, and 1 near Netivot.

At 5:11pm there was a false alarm in the Eshkol region.

In between (and after) there were sonic booms, and IDF strikes on multiple targets in Gaza.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------6:04pm Channel 2 reverses itself. Says the 5:11pm rocket attack did not happen, and the siren was a false alarm.